Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kesho asubuhi, mimi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani. - Tomorrow morning, I will wash my clothes at home.

nitafua = ni- (I) + -ta- (future) + -fua (wash clothes) → I will wash
So you can simply say: Kesho asubuhi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.

Why use mimi then?

To emphasize the subject:
- Mimi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani = I will wash my clothes at home (not someone else).
To contrast with others:
- Mimi nitafua nguo nyumbani, lakini yeye ataenda sokoni.
  (I will wash clothes at home, but he/she will go to the market.)

So:

Without emphasis: Kesho asubuhi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
With emphasis/contrast: Kesho asubuhi, mimi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.

How is nitafua formed? Can you break it down and show other persons (you, he/she, we, etc.)?

nitafua is a future tense verb. Its parts:

ni- = subject prefix for I
-ta- = future tense marker will
-fua = verb root wash (clothes/laundry)

So: ni-ta-fua → nitafua = I will wash (clothes).

Future tense of kufua with all subjects:

mimi (I): nitafua – I will wash
wewe (you, sg): utafua – you will wash
yeye (he/she): atafua – he/she will wash
sisi (we): tutafua – we will wash
ninyi (you, pl): mtafua – you (all) will wash
wao (they): watafua – they will wash

Same pattern works with most verbs:

kuenda (to go): nitaenda, utaenda, ataenda, tutaenda, mtaenda, wataenda
kupika (to cook): nitapika, utapika, atapika, tutapika, mtapika, watapika

Could I say Kesho asubuhi, nafua nguo zangu nyumbani instead of nitafua? Does it sound wrong?

It’s not wrong, but there is a nuance.

Kesho asubuhi, nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
→ Clear future: Tomorrow morning, I will wash my clothes at home.
Kesho asubuhi, nafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
→ Grammatically present/habitual: Tomorrow morning, I (normally) wash my clothes at home or I am washing my clothes tomorrow morning (like a scheduled plan).

In practice:

For a one‑time plan: nitafua is more natural.
For a regular routine that happens every tomorrow morning (or as a general schedule), nafua can work, but usually you’d phrase it more generally, e.g.
- Kila asubuhi nafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
  (Every morning I wash my clothes at home.)

So in this specific sentence, nitafua is the most straightforward and natural way to talk about a future plan.

Why is it nguo zangu and not nguo yangu? What’s the difference?

This is about noun classes and agreement.

nguo (clothes / a piece of clothing) belongs to noun class 9/10.
In class 9/10, the possessive my is:
- yangu for singular (class 9)
- zangu for plural (class 10)

So:

nguo yangu → my garment / my dress / my one item of clothing
nguo zangu → my clothes (plural – more than one item, or clothing in general)

In your sentence, you clearly mean more than one item, so nguo zangu is correct and natural.

Some examples:

Nimepoteza nguo yangu. – I’ve lost my (one) garment.
Nimepoteza nguo zangu. – I’ve lost my clothes.

Can nguo be both singular and plural? How do I know if it means “clothes” or “a piece of clothing”?

Yes, nguo can be singular or plural; context tells you which.

Singular meaning (one item of clothing):
- Often clarified with numbers or adjectives:
  - nguo moja – one garment
  - nguo mpya – a new dress/garment (context can imply one item)
- Possessive agreement: nguo yangu = my (one) garment.
Plural meaning (clothes in general, multiple items):
- Often used without a number, especially when talking about laundry:
  - Nina nguo nyingi. – I have many clothes.
- Possessive agreement: nguo zangu = my clothes.

In your sentence:

nitafua nguo zangu is naturally understood as I will wash my clothes (several items), not just one garment.

Why use kufua here and not kuosha? What’s the difference between kufua, kuosha, and kuoga?

They all relate to washing, but are used differently:

kufua – to wash clothes / laundry
- Nitafua nguo zangu. – I will wash my clothes.
- Very specific to laundry; this is the best verb in your sentence.
kuosha – to wash things in general (objects, body parts, dishes, car, etc.)
- Naosha vyombo. – I am washing the dishes.
- Anaosha gari. – He/she is washing the car.
- You will sometimes hear kuosha nguo, but native speakers strongly prefer kufua nguo for clothes.
kuoga – to bathe / shower (oneself)
- Ninaoga. – I am bathing/taking a shower.
- You do not say kuoga nguo.

So nitafua nguo zangu is exactly the right expression for “I will do my laundry.”

What is the difference between nyumba and nyumbani? Why do we say nyumbani here?

nyumba = house (the noun itself)
- Hii ni nyumba yangu. – This is my house.
nyumbani = at home / in the house / home (locative form)
- Niko nyumbani. – I am at home.
- Nitarudi nyumbani. – I will return home.

nyumbani is formed by adding -ni (a locative ending) to nyumba:

nyumba (house) → nyumbani (in/at the house, at home)

In your sentence:

nyumbani = at home
So nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani = I will wash my clothes at home.

You could say, more explicitly:

nyumbani kwangu – at my home
- Kesho asubuhi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani kwangu.

But usually nyumbani alone already implies “(at) home” referring to your own home in this context.

Why is there no separate word for at in nyumbani? In English we say “at home”.

Swahili often does not use a separate preposition like at / in / on. Instead it:

Uses the locative ending -ni on a noun, or
Uses a locative preposition such as kwenye, katika, kwa, etc.

In your sentence, the locative is built into the noun:

nyumba (house) + -ni (locative) → nyumbani
Literally: house-at → “in the house / at home.”

More examples of the -ni locative:

shule (school) → shuleni (at school)
soko (market) → sokoni (at the market)
kanisa (church) → kanisani (at church)

So Swahili can express place inside the noun form, without a separate word like at.

Can I move kesho asubuhi to the end of the sentence, like Nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani kesho asubuhi?

Yes, you can. Swahili word order is fairly flexible for time and place expressions.

All of these are grammatical:

Kesho asubuhi, nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
Kesho asubuhi, mimi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
Nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani kesho asubuhi.

Typical and very natural patterns:

[Time] + [Subject + Verb + Object + Place]
- Kesho asubuhi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
Or [Subject + Verb + Object + Place + Time]
- Nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani kesho asubuhi.

Putting the time at the beginning is very common and can give it a bit more emphasis:

Kesho asubuhi (tomorrow morning) is what we are focusing on first.

How do I say “Tomorrow morning I will not wash my clothes at home” using this sentence?

You need the negative future form.

Start with the affirmative:

Kesho asubuhi, nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.

For the negative future in Swahili:

Take the subject prefix, add -ta- for future, then add a negative element.
In practice, these collapse into one form. For I, si-
- -ta- → sita-.

So:

sitafua = si-ta-fua → I will not wash (clothes).

Your full negative sentence:

Kesho asubuhi, sitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
→ Tomorrow morning, I will not wash my clothes at home.

Other persons (using kuenda as an example):

hutafanya / hutaenda – you (sg) will not do / will not go
hatafua / hataenda – he/she will not wash / go
hatutafua / hatutaenda – we will not wash / go
hamtafua / hamtaenda – you (pl) will not wash / go
hawatafua / hawataenda – they will not wash / go

Is the comma after Kesho asubuhi required in Swahili?

No, it’s not required. It’s just a normal writing convention to mark a pause after an introductory time phrase.

You can write:

Kesho asubuhi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
Kesho asubuhi, nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.

Both are fine. In speech there is usually a natural pause after Kesho asubuhi, and the comma reflects that, but it is not a strict grammatical rule.

How do I pronounce nguo and nyumbani? They look tricky.

Some hints:

nguo

Sounds like “ngwo” or “nguo”, with an ng plus a slight w sound:
- ngu-o in two syllables.
The ng is like the ng in “singer”, not like “finger”; there is no hard g sound at the start in slow careful speech, though many speakers have a slight [g]-like element.

nyumbani

Break it down: nyu-ba-ni
- nyu – like “nyu” in “new”, with a “ny” sound (similar to ñ in Spanish “señor”).
- ba – as in “bat” (but short).
- ni – as in “knee” (short).

nitafua

ni-ta-fu-a
- ni – like “nee” (short)
- ta – like “tah” (short a)
- fu – like “foo”
- a – a short “ah” sound.
Often the fu-a sounds almost like “fwa”: ni-ta-FWA.

Putting the full sentence together (approximate English-like guide):

Kesho asubuhi, mimi nitafua nguo zangu nyumbani.
→ KE-sho a-su-BU-hi, MI-mi ni-ta-FWA NGU-o ZA-ngu nyu-BA-ni.